A Guide to Building a DIY Indoor Garden in Small Spaces

A Guide to Building a DIY Indoor Garden in Small Spaces

If you’re a plant lover, you might know about the challenges of cramming a houseplant collection into a limited interior space. At Shop-O-Rama, we believe every home should be vibrant with healthy, soothing plant life no matter the size. See some ideas about creating thriving indoor gardens in even the smallest spaces.

Indoor Herb Garden

Boost your culinary experience and bring freshness to your space with an indoor herb garden! Cultivating herbs is practical and rewarding, even in the smallest kitchen.

Benefits: Bring fresh herbs at your fingertips for cooking, aromatic scents, and air purification.

How to: Utilize vertical space with wall-mounted herb planters or place pots on shelves and windowsills.

Best plants: Basil, mint, rosemary, and chives thrive year-round indoors.

Pro tip: Ensure indoor herbs get lots of light and propagate as needed for meals, cocktails, and teas!

Living Walls

For those seeking to make a bold statement with their indoor garden and make the most use of indoor space, living walls are on the rise as one of the fastest-growing plant trends of the year. Not only do they maximize vertical space in smaller rooms, but they also contribute to improved air quality and an eye-catching aesthetic.

Benefits: Maximizes vertical space, improves air quality, and creates a stunning visual impact.

How to: Install a vertical planter system to encourage upward-directed plant growth. Build a DIY living wall using pockets, shelves, old ladders, trellises, and other repurposed structures.

Best plants: Ferns, pothos, and spider plants are ideal for living walls and can thrive in lower indoor light conditions.

Pro tip: Ensure you can easily access plants that might start trailing or vining together for watering, repotting, and general care. You might just find yourself in a mini jungle!

Office Garden

Build an indoor office garden to boost your creativity. This DIY project enhances the aesthetic appeal of a small working space and improves mental clarity and productivity.

Benefits:Increases productivity, reduces stress, and enhances creativity.

How to: Place small potted plants on your desk, or create a mini-garden in a corner of your office space. If you have a window, use natural light and go for a Zen vibe with large tropicals and other air-purifying picks.

Best plants: Snake plants, peace lilies, and succulents are perfect for most office environments.

Pro tip: Keep plants in your working line of vision. Seeing plants can increase those happy vibes when you’re knee-deep in work tasks.

Window Gardens

Natural light is a precious resource for indoor plants, especially during winter. Placing them near windows not only maximizes their exposure to sunlight but also enhances the overall ambiance of your space.

Benefits: Grouping plants near windows maximizes natural light exposure for plant growth and provides a pleasing aesthetic.

How to: Place plants on windowsills, use hanging planters, or create a tiered display. Corners are also ideal places for those larger-than-life tropicals to show off their bold beauty.

Best plants: Spider plants, aloe vera, and snake plants thrive with indirect sunlight, but you can group tropicals near south-facing windows.

Pro tip: Avoid placing plants too close to heater vents or cold windows.

Hanging Plant Gardens

When floor space is limited, it’s time to look up! Hanging plant gardens are a stylish and space-saving solution for building a DIY indoor garden in a small space.

Benefits: Saves floor space, adds visual interest, and allows for creative arrangements.

How to: Use macramé hangers, wall-mounted hooks, or repurposed containers.

Best plants: Pothos, ferns, and trailing succulents are good candidates for hanging gardens.

Pro tip: Try your DIY green thumb at making Kokedama balls for added visual appeal!

Bathroom Gardens

With its often-neglected natural light, the bathroom can become a sanctuary for moisture-loving plants. Create a spa-like atmosphere with a carefully curated selection of greenery.

Benefits: Utilizes natural light often present in bathrooms, adds humidity, and enhances relaxation.

How to: Place plants on shelves, use hanging planters, or include moisture-loving plants. You can even repurpose an old shower caddy to hold a few of your favorite minis!

Best plants: Ferns, snake plants, begonias, bamboos, crotons, orchids, and spider plants thrive in humid conditions.

Groupings of Terrariums

Terrariums are like tiny worlds encapsulated in glass. They add enchanting backdrops to any space and are especially appealing for smaller rooms. Grouping them creates a captivating display that is also low-maintenance.

Benefits: Ideal for small spaces, easy to maintain, creates a miniature ecosystem, and adds a touch of whimsy.

How to: Arrange terrariums on tables, shelves, or in hanging containers.

Best plants: Fittonia, air plants, mini succulents, and moss are perfect for terrariums.

Pro tip: Add a layer of charcoal to terrariums to keep soil healthy and control moisture.

Succulent Garden Displays

Succulents are known for being the darlings of the indoor gardening world, loved for their resilience and diverse aesthetics. Creating a succulent garden display for a small space allows you to play with various shapes, colors, and textures.

Benefits: Low-maintenance, diverse shapes and colors, easy to propagate, and suitable for small spaces.

How to: Create succulent arrangements in containers or terrariums, or use vertical planters.

Best plants: Echeveria, jade plants, and aloe vera are popular choices for succulent gardens.

Pro tip: Ensure your succulents are potted in well-draining soil and have adequate drainage.

From the practicality of an indoor herb garden to the aesthetic appeal of living walls and hanging gardens, building a DIY indoor garden in small spaces is an easy way to enjoy the most beautiful greens no matter where you live. With creativity and green-thumb enthusiasm, you can cultivate a flourishing indoor garden that suits your style and enhances your well-being.

Need more advice? Come into the store at Shop-O-Rama for the greenery you need to fill your small spaces today and the design advice to pull any style together!